
I have been using rubrics on assignments for years. But, recently I have had a number of strange issues. For example, in a recent assignment the students were to build a PowerPoint of 6 to 8 slides. I included in the assignment points for meeting the required length but I did not think any students would miss the part about doing a PowerPoint. I had one student turn in a paper in word. Because my rubric only gave a few points for required length the student ended up with a B on the assignment because they covered the topics in the rubric even though they did not do the assignment. I am still debating in my mind if this is good or bad.
Thomas,
Sounds like your use of rubrics really helped clarify things for students. Great asset for you and them.